This Haunting Song
by halfmadandlovingit
Summary: When the Doctor recieves a strange message, he is intrigued. But what secrets is its sender hiding? And who exactly is she?   OC's
1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

She barely heard it, the faint sniffle among the carnage. It was barely more than a whimper but it was still there. Her ears, as fine tuned as her other senses had pricked automatically. This was no threat though, her instincts told her. Carefully, with silent footfalls, she made her way towards it, eyes flicking through the undergrowth. There, half hidden by the bush. A boy. She dropped into a crouch.

Flinching, he pulled in on himself as if he wished it would absorb him. Dropping her sword to the floor, she raised her hands, a universal sign of peace that traversed all languages. The same instinct that had handled her blade mere moments before drove her now, as she raised a finger to her lips and smiled, tentatively, maternally. She could see know that he had barely passed childhood. He should have been in school, learning, playing, _anything_ but forced onto a battlefield. Blue ink was etched across his forehead, fresh. It was the sign of the warriors she hunted. No survivors. Her commander's voice echoed through her mind. He was meant to be her enemy; she should kill him. But...she couldn't. He was a boy. A child! Why should he be made to pay for his parents crimes? No. She wouldn't kill him, couldn't kill him. She looked around, quickly, furtively, well practised eyes taking everything in. Nobody else had seen him. Her team were all busy with the many gruesome tasks that always followed a skirmish. No one would know.

If anyone found out... The consequences would be so severe. She had finally found some haven, some _peace_ on this planet. She had finally run far enough away. Was she really willing to through that all away for a stranger?

She looked deep into the tear filled eyes of the boy - saw the innocence there - and made her decision.

Moving swiftly, she moved the branches to cover him more effectively. Panic filled his eyes when she made for the dagger at his side but she didn't have time to reassure him. In one fluid motion, she rose and made her way to the assembled soldiers.

"Johnson! What'd ya find?" shouted Hans, the hard hearted man who took too much pleasure in the power he had been given.

"Nothing Sir. Just a dagger one of them must have dropped sir," she smiled at the team, " careless buggers aren't they?" They had laughed at that then, some forcing it from unwilling throats. She knew the feeling. Sometimes it was hard to stomach what they did. They were trying to help, to protect but that didn't mean it was any easier. A part of her wondered what her life would have been like if she hadn't fled all those years ago. But going home, knowing what she did, wasn't an option.

And she was good at what she did. A life behind a desk wasn't for her. She needed to move, to be kept busy and more importantly, she needed to do what she could to make things right.

To pay for her mother's mistakes.

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><p><strong>AN: Please review :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**


	2. Chapter 2

"Where to today Pond? The festival in Orpond is absolutely spectacular... but no... that wouldn't work. There's a very angry woman there I was hoping to avo-"

Rory was glad the Doctor was cut off. He may have been a genius but when he started, there was no end to it. He had learnt a long time ago that the best thing to do was tune it out.

"Well that's not meant to happen..." he began, flying through the control room. When that didn't work, he began tapping at the screen as if that would stop the static from filling it.

Amy exchanged a quick glance with her husband and hurried to his side. She opened her mouth but the words were snuffed like a flame when a familiar face appeared before them. Automatically, the couple took a step forward at the sight of their daughter.

"Oh hello sweetie. Any chance of a lift?"

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><p>He still didn't quite know how to act. Even though her parents, <em>his best friends<em>, were out of the room, he couldn't help but feel as if they were still watching him. All he knew was that there was something, some stirring in his chest when she smiled at him. That when he had seen her so pale, so vulnerable in that hospital bed after she had saved him, he had wanted to keep her with him at all times. But River Song wasn't a woman who needed protecting. She was so strong. She didn't need anybody.

Subconsciously, he straightened his bow tie. Why did she make him so nervous? He was the Doctor for god's sake! He barely broke a sweat when he saved the world –quite a few times actually- but she was his biggest challenge. The one thing he didn't understand.

A sharp knocking could be heard and he jumped to his feet, eager to be doing something, anything. He wouldn't have thought anybody would have found the Tardis here. That was why he'd chosen this spot. Amy and Rory could go and explore this planet while he and River talked. At least, that was the plan.

His confusion only doubled when he saw the man behind the door. Tall and muscular, there was a hardness in his eyes that could only mean one thing: he was a soldier. His hair was mussed and his eyes ringed as if sleep had eluded him for some time. A soldier off duty.

"I need to speak to River Song. Urgently."

The Doctor was taken aback by his curt tone, the hint of pain within it. He could sense her behind him and stood slightly to the side, making sure to carefully shield her body with his own. After all, there was nothing as dangerous as a man who looked as desperate as this.

"River Song? I have a message from Aurora." He heard the sharp intake of breath but he didn't understand it. Who was Aurora? And why did River look so worried? He asked, his eyes never leaving the face of the man in front of him.

"Old friend." She murmured before beckoning the man inside. The Doctor almost protested but thought better of it when he saw the look on her face. He had never seen River look so serious and so...scared.

The soldier slowly unfurled his clenched palm to reveal a small circular piece of metal. The design was vaguely familiar to the Doctor - it may have been from Abydos. All eyes followed the man as he carefully placed it on the floor and took a step back. The machine was illuminated by small rings of light which flickered briefly before taking the form of a young woman. She was of medium height but toned, as if she too spend her days fighting. Her hair was a rather unusual shade of golden blonde, threaded with natural highlights, her eyes blue. Even in holographic form, it was clear she was beautiful. She looked like an ideal artist's subject rather than a soldier. Until you looked at her defiant stance. Then you knew. She was definitely more than a pretty face.

" Hey, it's me. I know it's been a while but... I needed to talk to you. I don't know how to tell you this. You always told me to keep fighting and I tried, I really tried, " River was on her feet now, mere inches from the girl, the hologram. " But I think this it. My luck has run out. The end. I don't see how I can get my way out of this one. I messed up. Like really messed up."

The Doctor's head whipped round at a choked sob. It was the soldier. He looked distraught, a look mirrored on River's face. He wracked his brain for answers, but for once, there was none.

" So I guess I just wanted to say I'm sorry and... I needed," the voice stopped, drawing in a long shaky breath, "I needed to say goodbye."

It cut out unexpectedly, the machine nothing more than a piece of metal once more. River turned to face the stranger, tears threatening to fall. The Doctor suddenly felt like an outsider, an intruder.

" Had you seen this before?" The soldier shook his head, clearly fighting with everything he had to remain composed. Even though he had never met this Aurora woman, the Doctor couldn't shake the sadness he felt. This was a woman on the brink of death, a woman who had given up.

She may have thought her death was inevitable but he was the Doctor, and if there was one rule he liked to break it was the impossible.

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><p><strong>AN: What do you think? Please review and let me know! **

**For those of you who found this after reading my HP fics and think they are going to be abandoned, relax. They're not. I've just been unbelievably busy lately with a new college, a new job and all the work A Levels involve. Fun. **


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